Britain’s housing market boom showed some signs of cooling in June as prices fell in monthly terms for the first time since January ahead of the scaling back of a tax break for buyers, mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. Prices were 0.5% lower than in May, Halifax said. In annual terms, they stood 8.8% […]
Business
Solarwatt flexes muscles in home energy storage fight with Shell, Tesla
Germany’s Solarwatt, backed by BMW’s billionaire shareholder Stefan Quandt, plans to launch a small module that lets homeowners link rooftop solar panels to power storage batteries and electric vehicles to cut costs. The wallbox allows home owners to control when and how much home-produced photovoltaics (PV) power they store, use to charge their electric vehicles […]
Limited capacity, logistics to slow Chinese bitcoin miners’ global shift
Large bitcoin miners fleeing China to escape a state crackdown will take many months to start operating again, as data centres from Texas to Siberia scramble to secure space and power for them, while many smaller players may struggle to move at all. Bitcoin is created or “mined” by high-powered computers usually at data centres […]
Property, cash and Amazon: Why buyout firms are battling to buy UK’s Morrisons
At least three private equity groups armed with foreign cash have lined up to do battle over Morrisons (MRW.L), a British supermarket with a big property portfolio and a deal with Amazon (AMZN.O) that could help scale-up its lagging online offering. Interest in the chain, which has recently notched up market share in Britain’s cut-throat […]
Nepal Signs USD 1.3 Bln Mega Deal with India’s SJVN to Develop 679 MW Lower Arun Hydropower Project
Nepal has signed a USD 1.3 billion deal with India’s hydro power major Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) to develop a 679-megawatt hydropower project in eastern Nepal, the second mega venture undertaken by India in the neighbouring Himalayan nation. The single largest foreign investment project, based on the 2017 cost estimates, is located between Sankhuwasabha […]
New Zealand industry ire grows as closed borders worsen labour shortages
New Zealand’s closed borders have helped keep COVID-19 out of the Pacific nation, but a critical shortage of migrant labour is now fuelling protests among businesses and workers struggling with a staffing crisis. About 2,000 eateries stopped service and turned off lights across on Tuesday and are planning other stop work events as part of […]
Japan’s Nomura plans to suspend part of cash-prime brokerage business
Nomura Holdings Inc (8604.T) plans to suspend part of its cash-prime brokerage business after sustaining a $2.9 billion hit from the collapse of U.S. investment fund Archegos, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The move comes after Nomura, Japan’s top brokerage and investment bank, reviewed its prime brokerage business and vowed to […]